---
title: "3 Cancer Cell Quotes By Siddhartha Mukherjee"
description: "3 Cancer Cell quotes by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Plus more from Siddhartha Mukherjee and more Cancer Cell sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c46/siddhartha-mukherjee-1619_cancer_there-is-a-duality-in-recognising-what-a_485626.png"
---

> [There is a duality in recognising what an incredible disease it is - in terms of its origin, that it emerges out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/there-is-a-duality-in-recognising-what-an-incredible-disease-it-is-in/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c46/siddhartha-mukherjee-1619_cancer_there-is-a-duality-in-recognising-what-a_485626.png)

> [“We have not slain our enemy, the cancer cell, or figuratively torn the limbs from his body,” Varmus said. “In our adventures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/we-have-not-slain-our-enemy-the-cancer-cell-or-figuratively-torn-the/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/727/siddhartha-mukherjee-1619_cancer-cell_we-have-not-slain-our-enemy-the-cancer-c_561075.jpg)

> [“Cancer, we now know, is a disease caused by the uncontrolled growth of a single cell. This growth is unleashed by mutations—changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/cancer-we-now-know-is-a-disease-caused-by-the-uncontrolled-growth-of/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d65/siddhartha-mukherjee-1619_cancer_cancer-we-now-know-is-a-disease-caused-b_3004319.png)

## More by Siddhartha Mukherjee

> [Most days, I go home and I feel rejuvenated. I feel ebullient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/most-days-i-go-home-and-i-feel-rejuvenated-i-feel-ebullient/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [“A note of caution: epigenetics is also on the verge of transforming into a dangerous idea. Epigenetic modifications of genes can potentially superpose historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/a-note-of-caution-epigenetics-is-also-on-the-verge-of-transforming/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [When you immerse yourself in medicine you realise that hope is not absolute. It's not that simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/when-you-immerse-yourself-in-medicine-you-realise-that-hope-is-not/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [“I had a novice's hunger for history, but also a novice's inability to envision it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/i-had-a-novice-s-hunger-for-history-but-also-a-novice-s-inability-to/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [“Any extrapolation of history into the future presupposes an environment of static discovery—an oxymoron.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/any-extrapolation-of-history-into-the-future-presupposes-an/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [“Six decades and two years, no more than a passing glance of time, separate Mendel's initial experiments on peas and the court-mandated sterilization of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/six-decades-and-two-years-no-more-than-a-passing-glance-of-time/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [“We now know that cells have ancient detectors that recognize viral genes and stamp them with chemical marks, like cancellation signs, to prevent their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/we-now-know-that-cells-have-ancient-detectors-that-recognize-viral/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [“Familial schizophrenia (like normal human features such as intelligence and temperament) is thus highly heritable but only moderately inheritable. In other words, genes-hereditary determinants-are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/familial-schizophrenia-like-normal-human-features-such-as/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [“If you prefer an “academic life” as a retreat from reality, do not go into biology. This field is for a man or woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/if-you-prefer-an-academic-life-as-a-retreat-from-reality-do-not-go/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [“But the pigs--seventy pounds of porcine weight that did not take kindly to weekly endoscopies--did not sprout any ulcers. And testing the theory on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/but-the-pigs-seventy-pounds-of-porcine-weight-that-did-not-take/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [“One of the four genes used by Yamanaka to reverse cellular fate is called c-myc. Myc, the rejuvenating factor, is no ordinary gene: it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/one-of-the-four-genes-used-by-yamanaka-to-reverse-cellular-fate-is/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [A breast cancer might turn out to have a close resemblance to a gastric cancer. And this kind of reorganization of cancer in terms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/a-breast-cancer-might-turn-out-to-have-a-close-resemblance-to-a/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [“But in 1960, oncology was not yet ready for this proposal. Not until several years later did it strike the board that had fired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/but-in-1960-oncology-was-not-yet-ready-for-this-proposal-not-until/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [“Mutants are necessary to maintain the essence of our selves. Our genomes has negotiated a fragile balance between counterpoised forces, pairing strand with opposite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/mutants-are-necessary-to-maintain-the-essence-of-our-selves-our/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [“Even an ancient monster needs a name. To name an illness is to describe a certain condition of suffering—a literary act before it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/even-an-ancient-monster-needs-a-name-to-name-an-illness-is-to/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

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